In late spring the elder bushes along Romania's lanes and riverbanks are covered in flat white flower heads, and anyone with a big glass jar knows what to do with them. Socată is elderflowers, lemons, sugar and water, left on a sunny table for a few days while wild yeasts on the blossom start a gentle fermentation. The result is a pale gold soda, sweet, citrusy and floral, with a soft natural fizz. Children drink it by the glass; grown ups claim it is for the children and then drink it anyway.

It is made fresh in May and June, but dried elderflowers, sold for tea, make a fine version all year round. On a hot afternoon in the stands it is the most refreshing thing in this book.

The socată

Ingredients

• 10 to 12 large fresh elderflower heads
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
• 1 quart (1 liter) water
• 3 quarts (3 liters) cold water
• 3 lemons
• 10 raisins

Method

1. Warm the sugar with 1 quart (1 liter) of the water in the saucepan, stirring until it dissolves completely, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Let it cool to room temperature.
2. Pour the cooled syrup and the 3 quarts (3 liters) of cold water into the jar. Add the lemon slices, raisins if using, and the elderflowers. Stir gently. The jar should be no more than three quarters full.
3. Cover the jar with the towel, held in place with a rubber band, and leave it at room temperature in a bright spot, out of hot direct sun, for 2 to 4 days. Stir once a day with a clean spoon.
4. Pour through the sieve into a clean jug, then again through the funnel lined with cheesecloth into the plastic bottles, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) of space at the top. Screw the caps on.
5. Leave the bottles at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours to build a little more fizz, then refrigerate. Squeeze a bottle once a day: if it feels rock hard, open the cap slowly to release some gas.

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